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market town

American

noun

a town where a regularly scheduled market is held.

market town British

noun

a town that holds a market, esp an agricultural centre in a rural area

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of market town

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Retired lorry driver Stephen Doughty, flew into parking rage when he feared he would get a ticket from the lone warden in a market town.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

Yet Ben doesn't live in rural woodland but in a block of flats on a fairly busy road in the market town of Horsham in West Sussex.

From BBC • Dec. 25, 2025

The actress who's from the West Yorkshire market town where enduring BBC sitcom Last of the Summer Wine was filmed jokes: "It's Holmfirth to Hollywood."

From BBC • Dec. 23, 2025

She pushed for Buxton to have a town council and for repairs to its many potholes - as Britain's highest market town, the weather often leaves its mark.

From BBC • Oct. 28, 2025

Then they Disapparated to the outskirts of a small market town.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023